Frazier, McAuliffe clash over hiring issues

Tuesday

Sep 25, 2007 at 12:01 AMSep 25, 2007 at 1:06 AM

Hiring issues have triggered a fierce dispute between Police Chief Paul Frazier and Selectmen Chairman Darrin McAuliffe. In a five-page Sept. 5 letter to Interim Executive Secretary Susan Kay, Frazier expressed concern about McAuliffe’s actions regarding “political favors.” McAuliffe, who told the Forum on Sept. 24 that he has not read the letter, said, “It is unfortunate that this employee has chosen to air hiring disagreements in a public way. These issues should be discussed internally with the board of selectmen.”

McAuliffe, who told the Forum on Sept. 24 that he has not read the letter, said, “It is unfortunate that this employee has chosen to air hiring disagreements in a public way. These issues should be discussed internally with the board of selectmen.”

Frazier is particularly upset about what he says is McAuliffe’s attempt to hire a lateral transfer police officer from Abington.

Five months ago, according to Frazier, McAuliffe told him that a prominent person in the Republican party wanted this officer to come to Braintree. After an extensive review, Frazier replied, he did not support the transfer.

Frazier explained why he was bringing the matter to the selectmen’s attention.

“If his (McAuliffe’s) manipulative behavior isn’t stopped, the board will appear to be dysfunctional and this blatant patronage will definitely hamper any progress the incoming mayor/council hopes to achieve,” he wrote.

Frazier alleged that McAuliffe has interfered with the police promotion process, citing promotions to deputy chief and lieutenant as examples.

“When making the deputy chief promotions, an assessment panel consisting of three police chiefs and the personnel director strongly recommended that Russell Jenkins be appointed as deputy,” Frazier wrote. “Mr. McAuliffe called me in my office and told me that he controlled the votes and ‘my guy (Jenkins) was not getting the job so I better figure something out if I want Jenkins.’ As a result, we now have two deputy chiefs.”

According to Frazier, McAuliffe contacted one of the sergeants and told him that he was going to promote him to lieutenant.

“Despite my budget not supporting five lieutenants, a requisition was submitted to promote,” Frazier wrote. “A rumor was circulating that one of our deputies was going to retire. However, when the incumbent in the position did not retire, there was no money to support the additional lieutenant position. During budget deliberations with the finance committee, I was put in the uncomfortable position of trying to explain this promotion.”

Frazier wrote, “Since becoming chief in 1993, I have worked with approximately 20 different selectmen. While we may have engaged in tough debates, I always respected the board members and the authority represented in the position of selectman. There is a lot of work to be done as our town prepares for a new form of government. Mr. McAuliffe’s reckless actions are such that they are reflecting poorly on the entire board of selectmen. I am concerned for my department and other departments as well as he has not limited his desire to politically influence on my department.”

Frazier has long been against the board’s authority to hire public safety officials, McAuliffe said.

“I’m referring not only to this board of selectmen, but previous boards of selectmen,” he continued. “It’s unfortunate that throughout Paul’s career, he has been opposed to the selectmen’s ability to hire and fire. Last year, he went even further when he filed an article at Town Meeting. He tried to take away the hiring authority from the selectmen and give it to himself. Town Meeting said no, so clearly this is a sign of sour grapes.”

Frazier’s proposal to give the chief “full authority to appoint, demote, suspend, and terminate all police officers and all clerical and civilian personnel of the police department” was defeated on an 84-49 vote during the May 10 session of the 2006 annual Town Meeting.

“My attempt at getting the hiring authority was solely due to the actions of Mr. McAuliffe,” Frazier told the Forum on Sept. 24. “It had nothing to do with previous boards of selectmen or the other four members of the current board.”

At the end of his letter, Frazier wrote, referring to the selectmen, “If any of you wish to speak to me in further detail regarding this matter, please feel free to contract me.”

Asked about the response to this invitation, Frazier said, “I have spoken to a few of the selectmen, and they’ve assured me that they understood what I said in my letter. My opinion is that I don’t think they would allow Mr. McAuliffe to pursue this action without my being present.”

Frazier described what he said have been McAuliffe’s actions concerning the proposed lateral transfer from Abington.

After he received a resume from the candidate sometime in 2005, Frazier contacted Abington Chief David Majenski, who did not recommend the candidate. However, in January, 2006 he told Frazier that he might not have been fair and “maybe it was just him who didn’t get along with (the candidate).”

While still “a little leery” of the candidate, Frazier agreed to interview him on Jan. 25, 2006.

“To be honest, after he told me of his desire to transfer to Braintree, I attempted to talk him out of it several times,” Jenkins wrote in a recent E-mail to Frazier recalling the interview. “I explained that he was a detective sergeant in Abington and would be a patrolman assigned to desk duty on the night shift. It made no sense to me to leave what he had for a job in Braintree.”

In February, 2006, the candidate was notified that due to the town’s financial position, no new appointments and lateral transfers could be made at that time, but his resume would be kept on file and transfers and appointments would be revisited at the beginning of the new fiscal year.

In a June 5, 2006 E-mail to Kay, Frazier wrote, “I know there was some interest in hiring (the candidate) as a lateral transfer. I have had countless conversations/requests from people in town asking me about it. My thoughts are to stay away from hiring him.”

After Frazier recounted what Majenski told him about the candidate, he said he had spoken to two other chiefs in the Abington area.

“Bottom line is, I do not think he’d be a good fit and would not support his being hired,” Frazier wrote.

On the afternoon of April 5, 2007, Frazier remembers a meeting with McAuliffe at Dunkin’ Donuts on Ivory Street.

“We had a discussion regarding his becoming the chairman of the selectmen and some issues facing the board,” Frazier wrote. “During the course of this meeting, he told me that he had received a call from a powerful person in the Republican party who said he wanted to get this officer transferred to Braintree. I told him I did not want the officer on my department. He said, ‘It’s political and I have to get it done.’ Prior to leaving, he asked what he could do for me. I said nothing and again repeated that I didn’t want this person transferred to Braintree.”

In an Aug. 14 E-mail to Kay, Frazier reported that when he spoke to Majenski a day earlier, he was told that the candidate by-passed him again and sent another letter and resume to the board requesting an interview.

“Needless to say, I am not happy with this individual and certainly do not want him appointed to this department,” Frazier wrote. “Chief Majenski told me that he had previously told this officer that he should not be dealing with the selectmen and should contact me. For the record, Chief Majenski did not give a favorable review of this officer. Would you please advise me if the board plans on giving (the candidate) an interview?”

McAuliffe sent an E-mail on Aug. 23 requesting that the candidate be placed on the agenda for an interview.

“It is my understanding that when the chairman discovered that (Vice Chairman) Charles Kokoros was unable to attend the Aug. 27 meeting, he quickly removed the item from the agenda,” Frazier wrote.

“I would request that if Mr. McAuliffe attempts to appoint (the candidate) to the police department that someone please stop it,” he concluded. “This will be the first time in my 14-year tenure as chief where my staff and I are not given the opportunity to conduct an official background investigation on a candidate or make a formal recommendation. This time span includes 50 new hires to the department and 24 promotions. Every selectman has commented on the quality of the information provided and the hard work that goes into our appointment recommendations.”